THE SENTINEL REACHES 9 OUT OF 10 ADULTS IN GOLDENDALE
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
Vol. 142 No. 37
$1.00
CONTRIBUTED
HISTORY PASSED ON: Betty Long-Schleif and James Radcliffe hold one of the memory books compiled by Goldendale Soroptimist founder Kay Kimmell. The books record the history of the local chapter and are being gifted to the Presby Museum.
Goldendale Soroptimist history preserved LOU MARZELES EDITOR CONTRIBUTED
HAVING A HEART FOR ART: Left to right: Felicia Gray, Laura Service, Kathy Baldwin, and Sandra Choate are ready to launch Art at the Heart, a new public art project in Goldendale
Art project aims to bring beauty and people to Goldendale An art project aimed at helping beautify and inspire Goldendale has been announced. Called Art of the Heart, it’s a public art project featuring large outdoor works by local artists and conceived to revitalize Goldendale’s downtown area, starting at Columbus and Main Street, states the Greater Goldendale Chamber of Commerce. The initial phase of Art at the Heart of Goldendale will be completed this fall at Round 2 on Main Street with a large-scale mural by Felicia Gray depicting autumnal scenes and a fall-toned mosaic by Sandra Choate. Laura and Rob Service, owners of Round 2, gave the Chamber a go-ahead to start with their building right away. “I’m so excited to be part of this
and can’t wait to see it,” Laura said. Kathy Baldwin, Chamber board member and director of Art at the Chamber (a program of arts by local artists on display at the Goldendale Chamber office), is leading the project. “We have over 50 area artists involved with Art at the Chamber. The caliber of their work is astounding and is the spark for Art at the Heart of Goldendale. Beauty and color inspire and heal the human heart and do the same for a community,” she said. This fall’s installation will be the first of four planned at the corners of Columbus and Main Street to serve as a proof of concept, an inspiration for downtown business owners, visitors, and the community to patronize shops,
restaurants, and bars in Goldendale’s downtown. Increasing the number of visitors and their overnight stays while supporting local entrepreneurship and business relocation to the area are mainstays of the Chamber’s mission. “We’re sponsoring this multi-year project because it will have a direct and lasting impact on how visitors, business owners, prospective investors, and community members perceive the City of Goldendale,” said Nicole Lundin, Chamber Executive Director. “We know tens of thousands of people visit our area every year for the parks, museums, the Goldendale Observatory, wineries, and to attend events, so let’s get these folks into
See Art page A5
Suit filed against county on Under Canvas A lawsuit has been filed in Klickitat County Superior Court challenging a recent decision by the Klickitat County Hearing Examiner approving a 95-unit luxury “glamp-ground” on Oak Ridge Road, approximately three miles north of the intersection of Oak Ridge Road and SR-141, adjacent to the White Salmon National Scenic River. The lawsuit was filed by Klickitat Land Preservation Fund (KLPF), Friends of Oak Ridge, and Dennis and Bonnie White on Sept. 2. Over the course of a two-day hearing in July of this year, Hearing Examiner Andy Kottkamp heard extensive testimony from the plaintiffs concerning possible risk of wildfire associated with the luxury camping resort and its potential traffic impacts. The project was widely opposed by area residents speaking at the hearing. The Hearing Examiner approved the proposal on Aug. 17. The lawsuit alleges violations of Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), the
purpose of which is to ensure that local agencies adequately assess environmental impacts before permits are issued. “The decision fails to address public safety,” said Bryan Telegin, counsel for KLPF. “The county itself has acknowledged that the project requires a detailed fire evacuation plan and that the risk of wildfire is very real. That plan should be evaluated before permits are issued, not after. But no such plan has been provided.” Dennis White, board member of KLPF, also spoke to what he sees as a dramatic increase in traffic. “Oak Ridge Road isn’t built for a nearly 18-fold increase in traffic,” White said. “Right now, the road is used primarily by locals who are familiar with the sharp curves, steep grades, and blind corners. Adding hundreds of cars per day by people who don’t know the road is dangerous.” Others opined that the combination of increased traffic and poor road conditions poses an especially big risk in the event of fire. Ross Tilghman, one of the plaintiff’s traffic consultants, calculated that the line of cars attempting to flee the resort would likely stretch over a mile in length, potentially trapping area residents in their homes and preventing fire-fighting assets from reaching the area.
The suit maintains the luxury resort would also adversely affect the Western Gray Squirrel (WGS), a Washington State listed threatened species. According to a press release from the complainants, in Washington, Klickitat County is the only county with sufficient oak-conifer habitat to sustain this species, and the resort would be located within an area identified by the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife as crucial to the species’ recovery. According to the plaintiff’s wildlife expert, Dr. Katy Stuart, “[t]he proposed Under Canvas resort has the potential to increase key identified threats to WGS in Washington State, including habitat destruction and degradation from development and forest management, roadkill mortality, and wildfire risk.” The suit says the county and Under Canvas failed to perform adequate wildlife surveys to determine current distribution. According to Dr. Stuart, “there is a lack of sufficient information to determine that this project is not likely to cause significant environmental impact to WGS.” The project proponent—Under Canvas, Inc.—has filed a lawsuit challenging the Hearing Examiner’s decision. The lawsuit filed alleges that conditions placed on the project are too strict.
For half of the Soroptimist International’s lifetime, a branch of it has existed in Goldendale. It was 50 years ago that Kay Kimmell got a group of women together to create the Goldendale branch of Soroptimist. Last week Kimmel’s successors got together to celebrate the occasion. Let’s back up a bit and put this in some perspective, starting with: what in the world does the word Soroptimist mean? Fact is, it was cobbled together a hundred years ago when the international organization was first founded (Soroptimist International observes its centennial celebration on October 1), from two Latin words. “Soror” means “sister.” “Optima” means “best.” Together the words can be said to mean “the best for women.” And that cause is why there is a Soroptimist branch in Goldendale that has, for 50 years, given grants to girls and women who can put them to good use. Betty Long-Schleif is a longtime Goldendale Soroptimist—32 years—and she recalls that founder Kimmell had been talking about a 50-year observance for years. “This was a big, was a big event in her life. And then she just passed away last year. We really have had it in our minds, forefront of our minds, for quite some time.” Adar Israel is a relative newcomer, joining the Goldendale Soroptimists a scant 12 years ago. She appreciates the fact that each and every year the Soroptimists have found women who qualify for a grant. “There were times we were lucky to give $300, and now we can give $2,000 plus,” she says. “We’ve really upped our fundraising abilities.” She says grant recipients have to
be the head of their households and going back to school for either an education or training for a skill. The next Soroptimist fundraiser is this Saturday with a flower sale in front of Dr. James Ogden’s office on Main Street. The Soroptimists do plant sales twice a year, spring and fall. “We have sold nuts at the holidays, you know, starting around Thanksgiving and then all the way through the Christmas holidays,” Adar says, “and a lot of people buy them for baking or for gifts.” Covid has interfered with some fundraising, such as the Mother’s Day Tea and Spring Tea the organization has held in the past. “Those were quite good fundraisers,” Betty says. “And we’ve done a fashion show. That drew a good crowd and a good income.” The group also puts up the Mitten Tree in the Sentinel office every Christmas season; people come in and put up mittens and hats and gloves to be given away to people in need of them To observe the group’s 50th birthday, a ceremony was held last week at the Presby Museum. The Museum was gifted with Kimmel’s memory books of the lifetime of the Goldendale chapter. “Kay was the historian for the club for years,” Adar says. “She kept albums that with all the events, and she really did an amazing job of including all of this history of the Soroptimists. The books that we gave to the Presby were the three volumes from 1971 through 1985. There was also an anniversary one from the 25th anniversary. Those were given back to us by her family.” “She kept all of our promotional materials, all the articles from The Sentinel, The Yakima
See Club page A5
CONTRIBUTED
HEAVY DEW: After a gazillion years of arid heat around the county, suddenly last week there was almost a full day of constant rain. The Rain Fairy is supposed to stop by again this week.